Study of the Optical and Current Variation of Polymer Material in the Semiflexible Module Application

Glass-based conventional crystalline silicon photovoltaic modules dominate the market due to their high efficiency and low cost. But these modules cannot be used for special applications due to their increased weight and rigidity. Thin film modules have the advantage of polymer but are less efficient and prone to degradation. Nowadays, people are trying to make flexible/bendable modules using substrates instead of traditional silicon-based modules. Because of these properties for solar photovoltaic modules, several candidate polymer films qualify as front sheets, such as Tedlar Polyethylene Terephthalate (TPT), PolyVinylidene Fluoride (PVDF), Ethylene Tetra Fluoro Ethylene (ETFE), Ethylene Chloro Tri Fluoro Ethylene (ECTFE), Fluorinated Ethylene Propylene (FEP). The transparency of the front sheet material in the visible range (300–1100) nm should be comparable to that of traditional glass. Above all cost of the material also plays a prime role in the commercialization of the polymer front sheets. This study will include selecting suitable materials for polymer films based on availability and physical properties data. This will also have an experimental investigation of materials based on quality and the electrical parameters of photovoltaic modules, including indoor and outdoor experiments, to get the best results for real-time applications. This experimental study helps to develop solar modules for low curvature applications such as facades and solar-powered transport systems where low weight and flexible surfaces with high efficiency are the keys to success.